Butt, (not a misspell), what do we do when a trophy buck is standing looking striaght at you at 70 yards away. Take the shot through the lower chest cavity, and hope you can get some one else to field dress the animal, since the round exited it's butt, or take a neck shot to drop the animal, and a second shot to finish it?

onehorse

06-03-2012 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcene
(Post 70216)

Butt, (not a misspell), what do we do when a trophy buck is standing looking striaght at you at 70 yards away. Take the shot through the lower chest cavity, and hope you can get some one else to field dress the animal, since the round exited it's butt, or take a neck shot to drop the animal, and a second shot to finish it?

If this is not a rhetorical question, my answer is forget the neck shot always. In the scenario you described, your "lower chest cavity" is the best option. At that range, most people can make that shot. The last buck I killed was shot with a 300 SWM straight on at about 40 yards and was drilled right through the heart. There was no problem field dressing it although, to be honest, I can't tell you why it wasn't a mess. I was using 150 TTSX Barnes handloads with a muzzle velocity of 3064 ft/sec.

Karl.Luhr

06-04-2012 05:49 PM

Nice Article Onehorse...

I never tried to think it through to the degree that you have. I remember and have taught my Son to aim for the opposite front leg on a quartering shot. He was taught to go 1/3 up the body following the front leg up on a broadside shot. With the animal quartering to or from you if you use that hidden from leg as your aiming point the bullet will travel through the boiler room on the Deer heading for that leg.

Karl

onehorse

06-05-2012 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karl.Luhr
(Post 70250)

I never tried to think it through to the degree that you have. I remember and have taught my Son to aim for the opposite front leg on a quartering shot. He was taught to go 1/3 up the body following the front leg up on a broadside shot. With the animal quartering to or from you if you use that hidden from leg as your aiming point the bullet will travel through the boiler room on the Deer heading for that leg.

Karl

You taught your son well!

3212

07-05-2012 07:27 AM

I have shot several deer in the head on position.I use a 100 grain Remington core-lokts and 100 grain spitzers out of a .243.The bullets have exploded in the chest cavity and did not penetrate the diaphragm.

daddus1

07-05-2012 09:04 AM

If its a trophy buck the last thing on your mind should be steak or backstrap
shoot for as much damage as possible! And even if you think you don't need it be ready for the second shot!
daddus
If you were thinking about where you shoot it you may already be to late.

Hunting Man

07-05-2012 03:46 PM

Hope and prayer are not ethical questions or actions in hunting. Patience and waiting for the correct shot is the only thing that should enter your mind. Letting a trophy walk away because it never gave the right shot is the measure of a true hunter. When using smaller calibers for deer it is vital to get the bullet into the heart or lungs. The problem with a frontal shot with say a 243 is most likely there will be no exit hole and nothing much from the entrance hole for blood tracking. Be patient most times a few more steps and the deer will present a better shot. I'm not an advocate of neck shots for the majority of hunters as the margin for error is huge.

BruceBruce1959

07-05-2012 04:30 PM

Well said HM, I'd also like to add that As soon as I spot a deer the first thing i'm always thinking is shot placement, if a shot doesn't present itself then it's always best to give that deer a Pass that day.
Secondly, if you spot what you think is a "Trophy" buck and that's what prompts your shot on that deer, you're probably hunting for the wrong reasons.
If Antlers are what you're after, just Go to Ebay, Antlers are readily available there and it's safer buying them than it is to just throw lead all over the place hoping for a kill shot.